World Cup talking points: Nigeria stale, Portugal crumble and USA looking Good

1) Portugal are in poor shape – and have nothing in reserve

Portugal are being talked about all over America, quite literally because the USA now fancy their chances against a side without Pepe, Fábio Coentrão and Hugo Almeida as well. The latter is a player most sides would not mind missing, but Coentrão – ruled out for 10 days – will be a big loss, especially if Ronaldo is unable to convince he has fully recovered from injury. Those two normally combine down the left to put much of the power into Portugal’s play, if both of them are injured the USA know there is not that much to fear from Nani, Éder and the rest.

2) The first Goalless Draw of the World Cup

It is difficult to complain too much about the bore draw between Iran and Nigeria – the first of this excellent World Cup – given the drama and entertainment that preceded it. As much as we hoped that it could last for ever, that was never going to happen – and on the bright side, the incompetence on show in Curitiba simply made us appreciate what had gone before.

3) Klinsmann puts the united in USA

There was a lot of pressure on the USA coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, going into this match. His decision not to take Landon Donovan, arguably the USA’s most celebrated player, had made him a lightning rod for criticism. He’d also admitted that his team had no chance of winning the World Cup, a realistic assessment, but not one the Stateside media wanted to hear. So when Jozy Altidore’s hamstring twanged in the first half with USA 1-0 up, Donovan’s name buzzed around Twitter like a trapped bluebottle. There was a sense that critics wanted Klinsmann to be found out.

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